ICC Calls Bangladesh’s India Tour Refusal Hypocritical, Replaces Them with Scotland

The International Cricket Council has strongly criticized the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision to pull out of the T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India, branding their security concerns as hypocritical. Bangladesh had participated in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan last year despite significantly higher perceived risks, yet now refuses to travel to India even after ICC assessments found no credible threat to players. Internal evaluations and expert inputs confirmed the situation in India poses minimal danger, prompting the ICC to reject Bangladesh’s push for a hybrid model relocating their games to Sri Lanka.

The ICC’s firm stance highlights the inconsistency: Bangladesh played full series and tournaments in Pakistan recently under elevated threat levels but now cites “moderate to high” risks for India. This contradiction led the global body to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, the top-ranked non-qualified T20I side (14th in rankings), effective January 24, 2026. Scotland’s inclusion strengthens the tournament lineup ahead of teams like Namibia, UAE, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy.

Tensions escalated when reports surfaced that the BCCI directed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the 2026 season, which the BCB viewed as indirect evidence of safety issues for its players in India. Despite prolonged negotiations and deadlock, the ICC prioritized tournament integrity and consistency in handling security and geopolitical matters.

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The decision has ignited widespread debate across the cricketing world about double standards in bilateral relations and travel protocols in South Asia. It marks a rare and controversial instance of a full member nation being excluded mid-cycle due to refusal to tour.

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